s ix b logging a ctivities for p racticing l2 e nglish w riting kristina scholz northern arizona...
TRANSCRIPT
SIX BLOGGING ACTIVITIES FOR PRACTICING L2
ENGLISH WRITING
Kristina ScholzNorthern Arizona University
March 17, 2011
TESOL – New Orleans
OUTLINE
SituationPremiseActivitiesModifications
SITUATION
MA TESL practicum assignment at an intensive English program working with mixed level students
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Program in Intensive English (PIE)Elective for Language Improvement (ELI)mandatory attendancegraded
20 international studentsmixed levels: Pre-academic to Level 2previous ELI experience
TEACHING SITUATION
Planned lessons to combine writing and word exercisesvocabularyword recognitionfluency in word formation
All blogging activities supported by:wikispace (www.pieblogs.wikispaces.com)sample blog (www.piesample.blogspot.com)
PIE BLOGS WIKISPACE
Students can accesstheir blogs.their grades.the syllabus.previous ELI.
And send the link to people.
PIE Blogs Wikispace (www.pieblogs.wikispaces.com)
Students can access the directions for the activities.
see a sample.
PIE Sample Blog(www.piesample.blogspot.com)
PREMISE
Theoretical underpinning that blogging is a no- to low- pressure environment that can creatively engage students to write
PREMISEWriting practice is necessary and can be fun!Blogging is fun and will engage the learners.Each activity will incorporate a visual,
creative element.Each activity will be written in English.Writing will be for fluency, not accuracy.
No pressure!
ACTIVITIES
Incorporating internet-based websites that have a creative focus with writing prompts
ACTIVITY #1: PROFILE WRITING
PurposeTo introduce students to the medium of
blogging as well as how to be safe and secure on the internet.
Inputhttp://baseplate.com/toys/minifig/http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/main.html?
cid=ushttp://www.buildyourwildself.com/
ACTIVITY #1 – WRITING FOCUS
Writing a profilemaking declarative statements
Including general informationlisting
likes/dislikeslocation (but not too specific)favorite books, movies, music, etc.no personal information
ACTIVITY #1 – TECH POINTS
Security on the internetvirusesscams – phishing, hackingpasswordsidentifying personal content
Basic principles of a blogon-line communityability to see and be seenpublic
ACT
IVIT
Y #
1: P
RO
FILE WR
ITIN
G
Students canpersonalize
their blogs.add
meaningful content.
add personal content.
make lists.
Students shouldrecord their
passwords.remember
their web addresses.
ACTIVITY #2: REPORT WRITING
PurposeTo explore the genre of newspaper writing and
practice writing to explain (by answering Wh- questions: who, what, where, when, why, how).
Inputhttp://www.fodey.com/generators/newspape
r/snippet.asp
ACTIVITY #2 – WRITING FOCUS
Newspaper writinginforming your readersdescribing eventsexplaining how things happened
Grammarpast tense (reporting)future tense (speculation)
ACTIVITY #2 – TECH POINTS
Using visualsnewspaper format
ACT
IVIT
Y #
2: R
EPO
RT
WR
ITIN
G
Students canreport on
personally important events.
make up stories (fiction).
design their own newspaper – title, date.
Students shouldWrite and save
their work in a word processing program first.
ACTIVITY #3: EVALUATION/CRITIQUE WRITING
PurposeTo summarize and contextualize information
while also giving a recommendation or suggestion to your reader
Inputwww.youtube.com
ACTIVITY #3 – WRITING FOCUS
Stating opinionsEvaluating or critiquing somethingGiving suggestions
using wouldusing should
ACTIVITY #3 – SAMPLE PROMPT
1. Summarize your favorite movie/song.2. When did you first watched/heard this
movie/song?3. Where were you when you first
watched/heard this movie/song?4. How does the movie/song make you feel?5. What is your favorite part?6. Would you recommend this movie/song
to a friend? Why?
ACTIVITY #3 – TECH POINTS
Using movies as visualsnot too long, just the important parts
Copyright issuesciting sources, giving credit
ACT
IVIT
Y #
3: EVA
LUAT
ION
/CRIT
IQU
E WR
ITIN
G
Students canshare their
favorite movies/songs.
give suggestions in writing.
choose to recommend something and explain why.
Students shouldcomment on
each others posts.
ACTIVITY #4: CREATIVE WRITING
PurposeTo explore ideas of probability and fantasy.
Inputhttp://www.ugo.com/channels/comics/hero
Machine2/heromachine2.asp
ACTIVITY #4 – WRITING FOCUS
Suppositionconditional
If I could…, then I would…Describing possibility
fact vs. fictionfantasywishes
Exploring the fiction genre
ACTIVITY #4 – SAMPLE PROMPT
1. If I were a superhero, I would… describe what you would do, use action words/verbs
2. If I were a superhero, my superpowers would be… describe superpowers
3. As a superhero I could… describe what you could do for your society
4. As a superhero I would… describe your responsibilities as a superhero
ACTIVITY #4 – TECH POINTS
Using screen shots for visualsinput program is in a format that does not
allow for saving, so students need to:print screen paste into a paint programcropcopy and paste into blog
ACT
IVIT
Y #
4: CR
EATIV
E WR
ITIN
G
Students candesign their
own superhero.
describe what they would do if they had certain abilities.
Students shouldcomment on
each others posts.
ACTIVITY #5: EXPLANATORY WRITING
PurposeTo summarize an event, predict the future, make
a relationship between cause and effect.Input
www.artic.edu
ACTIVITY #5 – WRITING FOCUS
Describing what happenedMaking inferences about what will happenExploring and explaining relations
ACTIVITY #5 – TECH POINTS
Using other’s workfor educational purposes
Conducting internet-based research
ACT
IVIT
Y #
5: EX
PLA
NAT
OR
Y W
RIT
ING
Students cansynthesize
what they see with what they know.
describe they see and predict what will happen.
Students shouldresearch the
paintings.share their
stories with other students.
van Gogh, V. (1889). The bedroom [painting]. The Art Institute, Chicago. Retrieved from http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/28560
ACTIVITY #6: REFLECTIVE WRITING
PurposeTo reflect on progress made as a writer and to
put into context what was learned. Input
www.wordle.net
ACTIVITY #6 – WRITING FOCUS Reflective writing
outlining what was enjoyedoutlining what was learned
Using the first person Making connections
ACTIVITY #6 – TECH POINTS
Designing visualsnew and interesting ways of displaying
informationsupplements writingstimulates ideas in others
ACT
IVIT
Y #
6: R
EFLECTIV
E WR
ITIN
G
Students cansynthesize
what they learned and what they practiced.
describe what they enjoyed, what they did not enjoy, and why.
Students shoulddesign their
own wordle and think about design concepts.
ACT
IVIT
Y #
6: R
EFLECTIV
E WR
ITIN
G
MODIFICATIONS
Activities can be modified and adapted to fit any learning environment or teaching situation
APPLICATION
Any setting!ideally would have computer and internet
accesscould simulate creative features through
drawingsAll levels of learners
maintain focus on productionGroup work vs. individual work
collaborate on creative projects
MODIFICATIONS
Amount of written productionIncorporation of and focus on editing
and revisingActivities could be designed to be more
or less complexi.e., used to practice a specific
grammar/vocabulary pointFocus on development of certain
grammatical/vocabulary features
REFERENCES
ELI Blogging homepage:www.pieblogs.wikispaces.com
Sample PIE blogwww.piesample.blogspot.com
Contact [email protected]
A BIG THANK YOU TO:
THE PIE AT NORTHERN ARIZONA
UNIVERSITY
ARIZONA TESOL
